Chapter 140: The Southern Holy Maiden
The white-clad woman’s smile was faint, like clouds, clear, like water.
Yet it held a myriad of emotions.
There was reminiscence, there was teasing, but buried deepest, and never quite hidden, was a trace of melancholy.
A friend arriving from afar should be a joyful occasion, especially when they help eliminate a most dangerous enemy at the most perilous moment. Yet Su Li’s expression was somewhat awkward.
Perhaps it was because of the softly spoken question from the white-clad woman.
The clouds once again concealed the moonlight and starlight in the sky. The street fell back into dimness, and raindrops began to fall.
In the light rain, he and the white-clad woman stood facing each other in silence, enveloped in stillness.
Meanwhile, the battle was still ongoing.
The clouds churned and tumbled incessantly, as if countless thunderbolts were hidden within. That sacred and solemn aura, like colorful clouds chasing the moon, wrapped around the moonlight, grinding and pursuing relentlessly, while pressing toward the stars in the more distant sky.
Invisible thunder finally shattered the clouds, sending down countless bright lightning bolts. Rumbling thunder exploded repeatedly over Xunyang City, shaking heaven and earth. Countless ordinary people hiding under their beds trembled in fear, and countless ignorant children wailed in terror.
The clouds tore apart even more violently, as if the sky itself were splitting. On the distant streets, any cultivator of weaker cultivation was directly knocked unconscious by the thunderous roars.
This was a battle between sacred domain powerhouses.
This was the highest level of power clash in this world.
The white-clad woman stood with her back to the sky, paying no attention to the battle beyond the clouds that had surpassed ordinary imagination. She simply gazed calmly at Su Li before her.
The world was filled with thunder and lightning, booming endlessly.
The two remained silent, still and quiet.
No one knew how long passed before the thunder and lightning finally ceased. Xunyang City returned to true calm. The clouds gradually stilled, leaving behind countless fine patterns like fish scales—remnants of the power clash. Countless cracks appeared on the street behind the white-clad woman, as if the ground had been plowed over countless times, with steam rising from the fissures.
How deep were those cracks? Had they reached the magma beneath the earth?
The outcome was decided.
In truth, from the moment the white-clad woman arrived in Xunyang City, the battle’s result was already sealed.
People stared at this white-clad woman, utterly shocked. Beyond his shock, Chen Changsheng felt even more bewildered. He felt that the white ceremonial robe she wore looked familiar, and even her aura seemed known to him, as if he had seen her somewhere before. Who was this white-clad woman? To be able to defeat both Zhu Luo and the Stargazer, two of the Eight Directions Winds, even if Zhu Luo had been severely injured beforehand, the realm and strength she displayed were terrifying.
A man in a bamboo hat appeared at the city gate of Xunyang, helping Zhu Luo up from the rubble. Blood flowed from this man, and within the blood seemed to be countless fragments of starlight, shimmering brightly. The blood and starlight gave off an extraordinarily terrifying sensation, as if a single drop could destroy an entire city.
But his bamboo hat had three large gashes, looking like a worn-out palm fan that had been used for seventy years and then torn apart by an angry maid—an exceptionally sorry sight.
This powerful man was, of course, the Stargazer. Who else could be the white-clad woman who had beaten him so badly? He looked toward the street over ten miles away, his face pale, shocked, and furious.
Su Li smiled faintly through the light rain toward the city gate. “I told you, I have friends. It’s just that she’s busy and lives far away, so it takes time for her to get here.”
Hearing this, both at the city gate and on the street fell into an eerie silence. People were very quiet.
At that moment, Hua Jiefu led all the priests of Xunyang City to kneel in the rain. Except for Chen Changsheng, who had little knowledge of the cultivation world, everyone had already guessed the identity of the white-clad woman.
Hearing Su Li’s words, how could they not be silent, even inwardly grumbling?
Holy Maiden Peak was far in the south, a great distance from Tianliang County in the north.
A figure as important as the white-clad woman naturally had countless affairs to handle.
In the rubble at the city gate, Zhu Luo was furious and incredulous, wiping blood from the corner of his mouth. “What is the meaning of this?”
Su Li said smugly, “I’ve lived for centuries too. A man as outstanding as me is bound to make one or two excellent friends. Did you think I was like Tianhai, content to be a lonely recluse?”
Such a smug demeanor might seem detestable to many. But he was Su Li, so they had to endure it. Yet Chen Changsheng felt that Su Li’s mood was somehow off.
Just then, the white-clad woman looked at Su Li and sighed, “So, it really is just friends.”
Su Li’s smile gradually faded, revealing a hint of awkwardness. This was the first time Chen Changsheng had seen such an emotion on his face. Su Li was the most extreme figure in the world, cold-blooded, ruthless, proud, and unyielding. He looked down on almost everyone—how could he be awkward? Earlier, he hadn’t answered the white-clad woman’s question but instead spoke to Zhu Luo and the Stargazer. That was already awkward, a sign of weakness. Yet who would have thought the white-clad woman wouldn’t even give him a chance to change the subject?
Su Li sighed helplessly. “Junior Sister, don’t be like this.”
Chen Changsheng was stunned, thinking foolishly, could this white-clad woman be a hidden powerhouse from Lishan?
“You’ve actually allied yourself with this blood-soaked madman? How are you fit to be Holy Maiden?”
Zhu Luo’s furious voice echoed throughout Xunyang City.
The city fell into dead silence.
No one answered Zhu Luo’s question. No one dared to answer it. No one was qualified to answer it.
Chen Changsheng was speechless with shock, finding it utterly unbelievable. The white-clad woman was… one of the five most supreme saints of the human world? The Southern Holy Maiden, who stood alongside the Tianhai Empress?
Only now did he realize that in the south, Holy Maiden Peak and the Everlasting Sect had always been regarded as branches of the same root. In particular, Lishan Sword Sect and Nanxi Zhai had always been on good terms, often addressing each other as fellow disciples.
For instance, Gou Hanshi called Xu Yourong “junior sister.” So naturally, Su Li could call the current Southern Holy Maiden “junior sister.” But… just as Zhu Luo had shouted in fury, why was this so?
“Why are they the five saints, while you can only be the Eight Directions Winds?” Su Li sneered at Zhu Luo and the Stargazer. “Because you’ll never be as cunning as they are. Without figuring out my hand first, who would dare to strike at me except fools like you?”
The Southern Holy Maiden glanced at him.
Su Li paused, then said, “I mean, you lack wisdom.”
The Holy Maiden ignored him and looked calmly at Zhu Luo and the Stargazer. “Whether I am fit to be Holy Maiden is not for you two to judge. As for my senior brother, you always say his hands are stained with the blood of innocents. But ask yourselves—has he killed as many as you? As many as the saints?”
The Stargazer lowered his head, hiding his face beneath the battered bamboo hat.
Zhu Luo was enraged. “Holy Maiden, your words are absurd!”
The Holy Maiden said calmly, “Your clans own vast fertile fields and countless servants. In years of famine, you never reduce rent. How many tenant farmers have you driven to death? As for the saints, a single decree of theirs causes how many innocents to die? My senior brother has never held power over any region or become a saint in this life. That is true great compassion. Where is the cold-bloodedness?”
The entire city fell silent, people lost in thought.
Su Li waved his hand. “Enough, that’s enough.”
(Starting tonight, I’ll organize the next segment about returning to the capital and the meeting between Chen and Xu.)